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I just saw Saul Williams.

idiotproofidiotproof 880 Posts
edited January 2006 in Strut Central
Dude was amped & had some crazy music behind him.I haven't really checked for him since 'Black Whole Styles'. His rhymes where clear, intelligent, creative & I can see the Soulstrut massive hating on him because he's a smart dude & it's very obvious that he laments the current state of hip hop. ie: the dumbed down lack of choice mainstream selections.He kept dropping lines like, 'You'll never truly understand hip hop unless you've heard Biz Markie played on a train in Brooklyn' or 'heard Rakim from the top of a mountain'. He also kept bigging up hip hop culture, but the music was more like DnB at times. An interesting dude.He was pretty on it & knew more about my country than most touring artists. So he got props for taking an interest.I played after the show & I really had no idea what to play, so for some reason I just took 80s funk with me.I was playing Shalamar when Saul's beatmaker (the only other person on stage) came up to me & asked wether I wanted to take him record shopping cause he liked what I was playing. He was introduced to me as Chris. Had a mohawk, played his MPC & went ballistic with some crazy 808 stuff when he was onstage. I missed his stage name when Saul mentioned it.I'm not really a spoken word kinda guy, but his was pretty cool. Got loads of charisma.Anyone else seen him play? Does he get much love in NY?

  Comments

  • gibla74gibla74 182 Posts
    Sounds like you may have heard the track he did with krust:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4814206664&category=307

    http://www.vinylsearcher.com/Dance-Review/Review-of-Krust-Feat-Saul-Williams-DB266.aspx

    Was quite good as I remember . Definately a charismatic chap.

  • SoulificSoulific 103 Posts
    I carry 'List of Demands' with me for month now and I really like playing it out loud doing a funk set. It even works in a northern soul context when people are already drunk but a little open minded.
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    He kept dropping lines like, 'You'll never truly understand hip hop unless you've heard Biz Markie played on a train in Brooklyn' or 'heard Rakim from the top of a mountain'.

    Yeah that's Twice The First Time, best thing he's done probably though am rather partial to the track he did on the Infesticons album, think it was call Monkey Theme, and Coded Language is a stunning piece of Drum and Bass that almost convinced me not to turn my back on the scene.
  • GenePontecorvoGenePontecorvo 5,612 Posts
    He kept dropping lines like, 'You'll never truly understand hip hop unless you've heard Biz Markie played on a train in Brooklyn' or 'heard Rakim from the top of a mountain'.

    Yeah that's Twice The First Time, best thing he's done probably though am rather partial to the track he did on the Infesticons album, think it was call Monkey Theme,

    "I went to the zoo/they had/images of me and you/like coo-coo-ca-choo"

    I love both those songs.

    I quite enjoyed "Amethyst Rock Star", but realize I'm in the minority there. Surely some dig on the track "1987" though?

    Saul also was the feature performer in Marc Levin's "Slam" which is a decent film.
  • gibla74gibla74 182 Posts
    There's a tiny clip on here, doesn't really do it justice but worth a listen :
    http://www.mp3.com/albums/394814/summary.html

    Really expected to enjoy Slam but seem to remember finding it a bit corny, maybe I need to watch it again?..
  • GenePontecorvoGenePontecorvo 5,612 Posts
    There's a tiny clip on here, doesn't really do it justice but worth a listen :
    http://www.mp3.com/albums/394814/summary.html

    Really expected to enjoy Slam but seem to remember finding it a bit corny, maybe I need to watch it again?..

    Eh, all the Marc Levin films I've seen have a little corn to them. They're pretty low budget. I can't say your opinion would change after a re-watch. It's all about Bonz Malone though. He was in both "Slam" and "Whiteboyz".
  • catchdubscatchdubs 492 Posts
    i'm not into everything saul does, but he has some joints and is an amazing live performer. plus just a good dude in general.

    overseas people are really, really feeling him, hasn't really cracked the US yet. he had a video for "list of demands" that was cool, but it didn't go too far on mtv2.

    last year i did a promotional mixtape for him, with a bunch of different blends (putting accapellas from his last album over "go DJ," dipset instrumentals, etc) and a freestyle he did over nas' made you look - the idea was to try and expose him to people who weren't necesarily checking for "weird shit". saul decided to call the mix "real niggery, volume 1", which people
    gave ME a hard time for - hey, he's the poet, thats what he wanted to do. we were both happy with how the mix came out.

    there was a small promo pressing of the mix thats long gone, y'all can still download it though

    pretty sure the dude touring with him on beats is CX Kidtronik, who just put a new 12" out.
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    When Slam came out I was working with gang kids who were in the prison system. I would show it every couple of months because it spoke to so many of their situations and their dreams (to be rappers). Always had interesting talks afterwards.

    Anyway, the movie was being shown at Bumbershoot in Seattle and Saul was going to be there to speak after the movie. My wife and I really wanted to hear what he had to say but didn't want to watch the whole movie so we showed up right near the end. Security informed us that theater was full, no admissions. Damn, right then Saul walks up and the asks to be admitted and the guard gives him the same schpiel. Saul explains that he is the featured speaker, guard let's him in. As he turns to go in I say, "Saul, can we get in?". He looks at the guard and the guard says, "are they with you?" Saul says, "of course". So we walk in with him, an usher seats us together and we watch the last 15 min. After the movie, he talked for a while, really intersting, mentioned that Bjork was his favorite hip-hop artist (I think he was trying to make a point about her experimental electronic music being more interesting than commerical hip-hop at the time). A group of people surrounded him outside the theater afterwards. My wife and I were just sittinmg, chilling trying to figure out what to do next. Once everyone leaves, he walks over to us, we say thanks for getting us in and we ask what he is doing next. "I hear drums, I gotta go see what's up with that up" and he was off to check out some Brazilian marching band. Cool dude.
  • troublemantroubleman 1,928 Posts
    I just bought this
    Image hosted by Photobucket.com
    and was tripping out that saul williams was the narrator.
    It's a cool movie too, with peformaces from some good new york post punk bands as well as some music by Basquiats own group, Grey.
  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    When Slam came out I was working with gang kids who were in the prison system. I would show it every couple of months because it spoke to so many of their situations and their dreams (to be rappers). Always had interesting talks afterwards.

    Anyway, the movie was being shown at Bumbershoot in Seattle and Saul was going to be there to speak after the movie. My wife and I really wanted to hear what he had to say but didn't want to watch the whole movie so we showed up right near the end. Security informed us that theater was full, no admissions. Damn, right then Saul walks up and the asks to be admitted and the guard gives him the same schpiel. Saul explains that he is the featured speaker, guard let's him in. As he turns to go in I say, "Saul, can we get in?". He looks at the guard and the guard says, "are they with you?" Saul says, "of course". So we walk in with him, an usher seats us together and we watch the last 15 min. After the movie, he talked for a while, really intersting, mentioned that Bjork was his favorite hip-hop artist (I think he was trying to make a point about her experimental electronic music being more interesting than commerical hip-hop at the time). A group of people surrounded him outside the theater afterwards. My wife and I were just sittinmg, chilling trying to figure out what to do next. Once everyone leaves, he walks over to us, we say thanks for getting us in and we ask what he is doing next. "I hear drums, I gotta go see what's up with that up" and he was off to check out some Brazilian marching band. Cool dude.

    That sounds like how I would imagine him to be.

    I have a lot of respect for him and think he's an extremely talented person.
    Too bad more people aren't more receptive to him because he has alot of thought provoking things to say.
  • white_teawhite_tea 3,262 Posts
    When Slam came out I was working with gang kids who were in the prison system. I would show it every couple of months because it spoke to so many of their situations and their dreams (to be rappers). Always had interesting talks afterwards.

    Anyway, the movie was being shown at Bumbershoot in Seattle and Saul was going to be there to speak after the movie. My wife and I really wanted to hear what he had to say but didn't want to watch the whole movie so we showed up right near the end. Security informed us that theater was full, no admissions. Damn, right then Saul walks up and the asks to be admitted and the guard gives him the same schpiel. Saul explains that he is the featured speaker, guard let's him in. As he turns to go in I say, "Saul, can we get in?". He looks at the guard and the guard says, "are they with you?" Saul says, "of course". So we walk in with him, an usher seats us together and we watch the last 15 min. After the movie, he talked for a while, really intersting, mentioned that Bjork was his favorite hip-hop artist (I think he was trying to make a point about her experimental electronic music being more interesting than commerical hip-hop at the time). A group of people surrounded him outside the theater afterwards. My wife and I were just sittinmg, chilling trying to figure out what to do next. Once everyone leaves, he walks over to us, we say thanks for getting us in and we ask what he is doing next. "I hear drums, I gotta go see what's up with that up" and he was off to check out some Brazilian marching band. Cool dude.

    That sounds like how I would imagine him to be.

    I have a lot of respect for him and think he's an extremely talented person.
    Too bad more people aren't more receptive to him because he has alot of thought provoking things to say.

    Agreed. I've seen him a few times myself and it's always a good show. Yet, I still can't get into the music or his CDs. Maybe he's too Next Level for our generation, and he won't truly be appreciated until he's gone.

    Good story though...
  • bropsbrops 182 Posts
    Seen him two times, in Oslo and Bergen. Some friends of mine did an interview with him for the radio program I am (was) also working for, and he dropped knowledge in every sentence. It was like listening to some mad professor as just always had something interesting to tell. I can try get the interview and post it up sometime.
  • GuzzoGuzzo 8,611 Posts


    I can see the Soulstrut massive hating on him because he's a smart dude not playing the role of the stereotypical black gangster, drug pusher, or pimp
  • SPlDEYSPlDEY Vegas 3,375 Posts
    I've seen him twice at a couple different rock shows. It's usually like him vs. 1000+ primarily white audience that have never heard of him before. Alot of people disrespected him on stage, but he was too brilliant too deny what he did. I also saw when he joined the mars volta on stage to perform said the shotgun to the head to there song eriatarka. Really interesting he treated it more like a battle rap. Alot different then the way he read it with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. Which was also a very interesting performance from him.



    He's a very talented writer, but I'm usually pretty eh towards the music he makes. Except that track he did with Wax Poetic called TIME (jungle). Also the track he did with Adventure time. Other then that he's usually very nasal in music, and sometimes his lyrics just aren't beat ready. Especially noticeable in the black stacey remix with Nas. But dude is dude, and said the shotgun to the head was incredible can't wait for that followup.



    Catchdubs, that was you? I dug it. I like how that site disses your mix, and has a Bon Jovi banner on top.



    - spidey
  • troublemantroubleman 1,928 Posts

    I can see the Soulstrut massive hating on him because he's a smart dude not playing the role of the stereotypical black gangster, drug pusher, or pimp

    perfectly stated, and co-sign
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    that mix catchdubs did is pure fire and i enjoy a good portion of amethyst rockstar.
  • catchdubscatchdubs 492 Posts
    Catchdubs, that was you? I dug it. I like how that site disses your mix, and has a Bon Jovi banner on top.

    see, that's the funny thing - the writer LIKED the mix ("Williams sounds triumphant here, and the mixing on Real Niggery is amply clever") but instead of telling people that it was hot and they should check it out, it was like, "hey, that dude's a white dude!"

  • oxnardcoreoxnardcore 141 Posts
    i saw him a few years back at the now-defunct cafe luna tierra sol cafe here in LA... the cafe had problems with their upstairs neighbor and apparently lady would turn off their power every now and then when it got too loud. so of coruse that night, after opening sets from La Paz and Poorhouse Projects, and right before saul was supposed to go on, lady turns off the power. now, saul's already up on stage about to go off, but its pitch black and he has to read from his book somehow. plus everybody's trippin because the huge crowd at this little cafe is already shoulder to shoulder, making any kind of safe exit from the spot impossible. and just as people are starting to get noisy and are about ready to pile out the door, the cafe workers step up to the stage with candles and flashlights. and saul just gets into it. all of a sudden, everyone gets real chill and quiet, and in the darkness of this little cafe, saul does one of the most amazing spoken word sets i've ever heard from him (or from anyone else for that matter). it was the most incredible show i have ever been to, to this day, even better than all the other performances of his i've been to (especially the DJ set he did at Nacional... and his bit part in K-Pax... he needs to stick to his poetry).
  • loudwizardloudwizard 358 Posts
    Also the track he did with Adventure time.

    i like that track (and album) quite a lot.
  • Jazz_OneJazz_One 55 Posts
    Watch Slam again and realize this film didn't have a script. They were given plot points and basically improved most of it. Also there were just a handful of actors in the whole film. The prisoners for the most part were prisoners. The correctional officers were correctional officers. After finding out this stuff, I have a huge appreciation for this flick.

    Saul Williams is the reason I got into spoken word. I use to write stuff and hide it. After seeing him in Devlin's SlamNation documentary, I was inspired and decided I had to breathe life into my words. When I first got into spoken word, I wanted to write and perform like Saul. Overtime, I found my voice and style. Imitate, Deviate, Originate.

    Catchdubs, Real Niggery was dope. I had heard somewhere it was almost called Poetry Funds Terrorism. That being a play on MIA and Diplo's Piracy Funds Terrorism. At the Fader party during SXSW, I saw the craziest line up. It was Bun B, Saul, MIA and some others. MIA hooked me up with her mixtape. I saw Saul on my way out. He as I was blown away by her performance that night. It included Diplo's Serato shitting the bed and her having the crowd hum the bassline. The next day I hooked Saul up with a burn of the mixtape MIA gave me. I was stoked to hear the mixtape was almost named for a cd I hooked him up with.

    Check out the video for his song Black Stacey
    http://www.redmusic.com/video/SaulWilliams/BlackStacey_high.ram

    Check out this video that is a cover of List of Demand
    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-418537696859973739



    There's a tiny clip on here, doesn't really do it justice but worth a listen :
    http://www.mp3.com/albums/394814/summary.html

    Really expected to enjoy Slam but seem to remember finding it a bit corny, maybe I need to watch it again?..
  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    i saw him a few years back at the now-defunct cafe luna tierra sol cafe here in LA... the cafe had problems with their upstairs neighbor and apparently lady would turn off their power every now and then when it got too loud. so of coruse that night, after opening sets from La Paz and Poorhouse Projects, and right before saul was supposed to go on, lady turns off the power. now, saul's already up on stage about to go off, but its pitch black and he has to read from his book somehow. plus everybody's trippin because the huge crowd at this little cafe is already shoulder to shoulder, making any kind of safe exit from the spot impossible. and just as people are starting to get noisy and are about ready to pile out the door, the cafe workers step up to the stage with candles and flashlights. and saul just gets into it. all of a sudden, everyone gets real chill and quiet, and in the darkness of this little cafe, saul does one of the most amazing spoken word sets i've ever heard from him (or from anyone else for that matter). it was the most incredible show i have ever been to, to this day, even better than all the other performances of his i've been to (especially the DJ set he did at Nacional... and his bit part in K-Pax... he needs to stick to his poetry).

    I have to agree. WHat little I have heard of his music is not nearly as good as his spoken word work, which is mindblowing. I think over time he could develop into one hell of an actor.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    there was a small promo pressing of the mix thats long gone, y'all can still download it though


    Holy shit, this mix is mindblowing.

    Thanks for offering that up!
  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,130 Posts
    Two hours ago I saw Wayne Knight as in killed by a dinosaur, third rock from the sun wayne knight. Yeah I thought so. Beats by Earnest Borgnine story
  • smallchangesmallchange 202 Posts
    Wasn't one of Saul Williams LPs supposed to drop on 9/11? At the time he seemed like he was going to blow up, I think Rick Rubin produced a few tracks, no? Sorta took the wind out of his sails for exposure, at least in the US.

    I like that Krust DnB track, and yes, that was a time I was getting tired of that scene as well. Worth grabbing. I missed an opportunity to see Krust and Roni Size at Bowery Ballroom around the time this record came out, and I heard Saul jumped on stage and did that song live, people were supposedly . But I wasn't thurr.

    That is CX Kidtonik touring with Saul. Very nice dude, I've spun with him a few times at various downtown spaces and lofts. They're a good match cos he's definitely a bugged out mofo, but does have some skills behind the decks, and knows his music.

    I can't get into all of Saul's music but he's definitely an original and has some forward things to say.

    $??
  • planlessplanless 819 Posts
    the definition of

    twice the first time
  • idiotproofidiotproof 880 Posts
    Nice to know opinions. And nobody came on to tear him down. Cool.

    Spot on Guzzo.. Spot on.

    Just downloaded that mix. Very nice. Dude rips it over 'Made You Look'. Puts a lot of people to shame. But the shame is that people won't check for him because he does reach out & experiment.
    & yes it was CX Kidtronik that I met. He seemed very sound.

    I think he's definitely one of those people that you can fully respect, even if you can't get into every one of his tracks.

    He's doing a spoken word at our Opera House this weekend. Can't see many emcees getting that type of gig. And he's not backwards in coming forwards about his ancestry, nor is he in his embracement of all cultures. Unique artist.

    Cheers all for the info.

    Yeah thats' it. 'Twice the First Time' is Thanks for that. Amazing stuff.
  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Was there a remix or alternate version of Twice The First Time on that Ninja Tune ZEN comp that came out a few years ago?? Or maybe Saul on a remix of something else??

    Fuck it I'm gonna check...

    Hmm... he doesn't seem to be on it at all... fuck I've gone mad. Because I could have sworn he was.
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004XSTF/qid=1137054085/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3546112-6137463?n=507846&s=music&v=glance
  • gibla74gibla74 182 Posts

    there was a small promo pressing of the mix thats long gone, y'all can still download it though


    Holy shit, this mix is mindblowing.

    Thanks for offering that up!


    Can't seem to get it to download, is it still up? Would really like to hear this!
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